Bcteagirl: Adventure from the point of view of animals written for adults! A group of sheep discover that their shepherd has been murdered and decide they will have to find the culprit themselves. I loved this book :)

An amazing adventure with wise rabbits who must travel far and wide, surmounting danger and despair to continue their life on the prairie. One of the best books I've ever read, Watership Down reminds us all that even the smallest of beings has the biggest of hardships, and the warmest of hearts. ( )

An amazing adventure with wise rabbits who must travel far and wide, surmounting danger and despair to continue their life on the prairie. One of the best books I've ever read, Watership Down reminds us all that even the smallest of beings has the biggest of hardships, and the warmest of hearts. ( )

An amazing adventure with wise rabbits who must travel far and wide, surmounting danger and despair to continue their life on the prairie. One of the best books I've ever read, Watership Down reminds us all that even the smallest of beings has the biggest of hardships, and the warmest of hearts. ( )

An amazing adventure with wise rabbits who must travel far and wide, surmounting danger and despair to continue their life on the prairie. One of the best books I've ever read, Watership Down reminds us all that even the smallest of beings has the biggest of hardships, and the warmest of hearts. ( )

I remember watching the animated version when it came out in 1978. What I remember from that is that the rabbits were mean to each other and there was a lot of fighting. It was pretty bloody.

Now after reading the book. (This is my "first time") I still feel the same way. The rabbits were mean, sometimes creepy and it was bloody. BUT it is a good book.

First we have psychic rabbits. Then we have a long journey. Several long journeys. We meet 2 very different groups of rabbits. The first bunch were odd. And when Fiver says "guys, this place is weird,we need to move on". Well...lets just say they learned their lesson and listened to Fiver's advice throughout the story. The second bunch were scary. I am not one to run through and re-hash an entire book, but I kinda feel like I want to. I will refrain. I do want to say that Bigwig is my favorite rabbit and he grew and changed the most.

Can we talk about this being labeled as a child's book. First what age child? I mean I just don't see a 7 year old sitting down to read a 474 page book. (not the average child) Are parents supposed to read a 474 page book to their children? I have my own doubts about that. I know fairy tales are generally nasty. And I feel that kids do not need the Disney spin on everything. But do we need to read to our children intense tooth to claw battle scenes? I mean there are some WOW moments.

I feel this might go more towards the middle school group of kids. Teenagers. I have one. He could read this. He would get the deeper meaning, the politics and all that jazz. But for it being perpetually labeled a child's book? Since we are in the 21st century lets take that leap and use that marketing term and call it YA. Yes I did. Young Adult. Shoot me. Hazel was shot. But that is all your gonna get.

Am I glad to have read this? YES. Did I generally enjoy the story? YESShould it be part of a literature class? YESShould you read this? YES( )

It would seem that in Adam's ardor for wild creatures he has tried too hard to make a case for them instead of allowing them fully to be their own recommendation. I'm grateful for much of what he's done, but I'm not going to look at rabbits differently from now on.

This bunny-rabbit novel not only steers mostly clear of the usual sticky, anthropomorphic pitfalls of your common garden-variety of bunny rabbit story: it is also quite marvelous for a while, and after it stops being marvelous, it settles down to be pretty good- a book you can live with from start to finish.

Fiver could sense danger. Something terrible was going to happen to the warren – he felt sure of it. So did his brother Hazel, for Fiver’s sixth sense was never wrong. They had to leave immediately, and they had to persuade the other rabbits to join them. And so begins a long and perilous journey of a small band of rabbits in search of a safe home. Fiver’s vision finally leads them to Watership Down, but here they face their most difficult challenge of all.

Watership Down has been a staple of high-school English classes for years. Despite the fact that it's often a hard sell at first (what teenager wouldn't cringe at the thought of 400-plus pages of talking rabbits?), Richard Adams's bunny-centric epic rarely fails to win the love and respect of anyone who reads it, regardless of age. Like most great novels, Watership Down is a rich story that can be read (and reread) on many different levels. The book is often praised as an allegory, with its analogs between human and rabbit culture (a fact sometimes used to goad skeptical teens, who resent the challenge that they won't "get" it, into reading it), but it's equally praiseworthy as just a corking good adventure.

The story follows a warren of Berkshire rabbits fleeing the destruction of their home by a land developer. As they search for a safe haven, skirting danger at every turn, we become acquainted with the band and its compelling culture and mythos. Adams has crafted a touching, involving world in the dirt and scrub of the English countryside, complete with its own folk history and language (the book comes with a "lapine" glossary, a guide to rabbitese). As much about freedom, ethics, and human nature as it is about a bunch of bunnies looking for a warm hidey-hole and some mates, Watership Down will continue to make the transition from classroom desk to bedside table for many generations to come. --Paul Hughes